A certified Occupational Therapy Assistant collaborates with the supervising occupational therapist to provide the use of occupations (everyday life activities) with individuals and/or groups across the life span. These occupations include ADLs (activities of daily living), IADLS (instrumental activities of daily living), education, work, rest, sleep, play, and social participation. Occupational therapy assistants provide services that will promote health, well-being, participation and engagement in occupation throughout one’s lifespan. Occupational therapy assistants apply a holistic approach and recognize the significance of the mind, body and spirit as they focus on areas of physical, cognitive, psychosocial and sensory impairment. The occupational therapy assistant may be employed in a variety of traditional and emerging practice areas. These practice settings may include but are not limited to: hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, out-patient facilities, schools, community based health agencies, behavioral health programs, and home health agencies.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant curriculum at Raritan Valley Community College includes both classroom education at the College and fieldwork/clinical training in occupational therapy in community settings. Upon successful completion of academic and fieldwork education, students are awarded an Associate of Applied Science degree. In order to practice as an Occupational Therapy Assistant, students must graduate from a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education [ACOTE] successfully pass an exam administered by National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy [NBCOT] and apply for licensure in the desired state to practice. ACOTE is located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD, 20852-4929. The contact number is (301) 652-AOTA and website http://www.acoteonline.org.
Graduates are able to:
- apply occupational therapy interventions to support engagement in everyday life activities in a variety of contexts and environments, in accordance with evidence-based OT practice.
- effectively communicate and collaborate with all members of the healthcare team, under the supervision of a registered occupational therapist (OTR).
- adhere to the professional ethics, values, and responsibilities outlined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and apply them in ethical decision making and professional accountability.
- apply clinical reasoning and best practice methods for client-centered care to successfully pass the NBCOT certification exam.
Admission requirements: Applicants must first complete an RVCC application including proof of high school completion or GED, and transcripts from all colleges attended. Applicants must take the Accuplacer if needed to qualify for entry into English Composition I [ ENGL 111] and have Mathematics proficiency through Elementary Algebra (MATH 020) or qualify for Intermediate Algebra (MATH 030/MATH 030R) and a minimum 2.75 GPA to apply to RVCC OTA program. Then, applicants must complete an OTACAS application: https://otacas.liaisoncas.com/ , a criminal background check, complete a Health Science Reasoning Test (HSRT) and written assessment in RVCC Testing Center. All applications will be reviewed by RVCC OTA committee and ranked by an established rubric system and students with the highest scores will be offered admission first. Students who submit proof of residency for Somerset and Hunterdon county are given priority placement
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